Posted
by
timothy
on Thursday May 29, 2008 @10:33AM
from the when-ndas-expire-you-sorta-win dept.

Ken E. writes "UK tech website Mobile Computer has an early hands-on review of the MSI Wind — a £329 ultraportable notebook that will compete head-on with the Asus Eee PC 900. In its favour are a 10in screen, better keyboard and, perhaps most important of all, an Intel Atom 1.6GHz dual-core processor (though the site shies away from mentioning this open secret due to what sound like NDA constraints). They like it a lot — is this finally a worthy Eee PC alternative?" (£329 is about $650US at the moment.) An anonymous reader points to CNET's hands-on photo gallery of the Wind; CNET's reviewer says the MSI Wind is the first mini notebook with an overclock button. Barence adds another review at PC Pro.

You're right that £329 is about $650 on xe.com etc today. However it's a bit misleading when it comes to product. In Blighty here we have always suffered in the transatlantic stakes - new kit is always significantly more expensive than the USD/GBP exchange rate would infer. This is frequently illustrated in the UK press as being indicative of 'Rip off Britain'. I very strongly suspect this holds in the reverse here too. Given how weak the dollar is, I seriously don't expect them to be charging $650 for it in the US - it'll be cheaper.

Hate to dual reply. But the prices they list are for the UK Version to be imported by Expansys. Something engadget previously covered as $610. So, I would have to say that $399 if far more likely to be accurate based on what it is intended to compete with.

It's already been reported [engadget.com] that the US price for the Linux (SuSE) version will be $399 and the XP version will be $549. The XP version will supposedly include more RAM, Bluetooth, and a higher capacity battery. There's also mention of a $499 "base" XP version.

Also, I believe that "new kit is always significantly more expensive than the USD/GBP exchange rate would imply." Last time I checked, the exchange rate wasn't capable of rational thought (ha!), and thus can't infer.

Ok, why the hell has every manufacturer in the business decided to eschew the pgup/pgdn buttons for the god-awful two-handed replacement? Does anyone actually like this crap or are the rest of you only reading 1 page things?

I like the placement of the buttons on my MacBook Pro. My ThinkPad has separate buttons, but they are up in the top right corner of the keyboard and hard to hit. My MBP has them on the arrow keys and so switching between scrolling one line and scrolling one page with the keys is just a matter of resting the edge of my left hand on the function key in the bottom-left corner of the keyboard. There is no comment in TFA on whether the 'responsive' trackpad is multitouch - I have got so used to two-fingered 2

That's not how the track pad on the MB Pro behaves. It actually works pretty nicely. I've caught myself using that even though I've had the mouse in my hand a few times. You're right, scroll wheels leave quite a bit to be desired.

The older model I have at home, no longer available, has no "Fn" key or fake numeric keypad... which is another think I'd like to see laptop manufacturers give up on. Either way, this keyboard is about the same size as a regular laptop ke

I realize the comparison is odd since they all hit different intended markets, but it seems that something that is between the two in specs would be closer to either of the two in terms of price than it currently is.

I realize the comparison is odd since they all hit different intended markets, but it seems that something that is between the two in specs would be closer to either of the two in terms of price than it currently is.

Compared to the Vostro you're paying for the size reduction. I bet that Vostro is one of those fugly and heavy cheap dells. At 6.33lbs, you can have that Vostro lead brick. UGH! Never again for travel would I use something that heavy. Once you go 3lbs for travel, you NEVER go back.

Compared to the EEE, you are paying for the larger 10" screen & faster processor.

All in all, it makes perfect sense to me the price placement from your list.

Here [dell.com] is a link for you. If you hit the "Look Closer" link on that page, you can get a java-based 360 viewer. The Vostro actually has the same style aesthetic as the Wind. Just a bit bigger. Although it is a tad hefty at a starting weight of 6.33 lbs.

Your Eee PC specs are off for the Eee 8G: 900mhz celeron and it is $499. The Eee 900 is 900mhz, 8.9" screen, 4GB + 16GB (or 8GB if you go with winxp) at $549.

The Wind is a little overpriced but is slightly different... hard drive vs ssd, slightly larger display (in dimensions, not pixels) and slightly larger keyboard. I can see some people paying the premium to have the large hard disk instead of the small ssd. The keyboard on the eee also takes a while to get used to and is very hard to touch-type on be

I love the fast bootups on the SSD on the eee, and all my data is portable or network accessible anyhow. The slightly larger keyboard might be nice, but now that I have gotten used to the tiny keys a normal keyboard actually makes me tired.

The Linux version, running Novel's SUSE, will have 512MB RAM and an 80GB hard drive. It will retail for $399. The Windows XP version will have 1GB RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and Bluetooth, retailing for $549. However according to MSI a base configuration of the Windows XP product will be available for under $500.

3-4 hours on a 3 cell battery!? Awesome! With a 6cell battery at ~6 hours, I would gladly take one. Not to mention it's a dual core processor, and the the Asus eeePC only runs for a few (3.5) on a 6 cell battery off a 1ghz processor. That isn't to say I need a dualcore all the time, I am just amazed they could squeeze more juice out of a dual core and still make it competitive.

"Comes in" suggests "now", when in fact the dual-core version is not yet available. The dual-core version has an 8W TDP as well. Original post said that Atom is a dual core processor, which is currently not the case.

While I like new toys why would I pay $600.00 for this when for $499.00 I can just get a Dell Laptop? I was looking at one of these a little while ago as I wanted something I could use for DVDs on trips and when I wasn't in the car and for something I use as a navigator in the car.

It's not free, but it is cheap. Smaller screen = less money. Small case means no need for a metal frame = less money. No optical drive = less money. Assuming these things are similar to my Eee they are incredibly basic inside - silver paint serves as a shield, one sheet of metal under the keyboard is the heatsink, even the trackpad buttons are on the motherboard itself instead of on a daughterboard. There is only one type of screw holding my Eee together. Compared to the other laptops I've been inside with

I'm sorry, I think you mistook "engineering" for "manufacturing". The first involves effort, problem solving and creative solutions to cramming X shit into 25% less space. The second is about reducing component size/quality/number to achieve a cost reducing for each unit built (and perhaps reduce the complexity of the unit being built and therefor reducing building costs).

It was more of an "underclock" button. "Turbo" was whatever your system should normally run at. Turning it off made it clock down to AT speed so games with timing loops written to CPU NOOPs instead of using the system clock wouldn't be over before you got a chance to play.

The Linux version of the Wind will be only $400 in the US [laptopmag.com]. Unfortunately, it only includes a three-cell battery, which is a deal breaker for me. I'd pay $50 more for a longer battery life, but apparently that will only be available on the "standard" $550 Windows XP model.

Whilst it will be a small computer, the 10" screen is making it very close in size to a 12" laptop, which aren't that expensive these days. My old 12" iBook isn't that much larger, and it's probably faster to boot, so there's not much reason to buy this.

The 9" versions are a little more desirable. I wish they'd make them slimmer.

Is anyone else frustrated to see analog RGB/VGA as the video output method for an external display? Isn't this supposed to be a cutting-edge laptop? It's 2008. It should have DVI (or even the easily converted to/from HDMI). Are there really that many people left who have access only to a dinosaur CRT or an oddball LCD that allows only for an analog signal?

And while I'm at it, I'd be interested to hear other people's perception of the oversized backspace key (yeah, I know, this is at the bottom of the

I'm with you on the VGA output. DVI, however, is a bit too big to consider on a laptop, so IMHO they should switch to HDMI instead (which is probably where computer monitors are headed anyway).

As for the enter/backspace key, I hate those huge L-shaped enter keys and a regular-sized backspace key is a problem. In fact, on my Apple keyboard right here, the delete key is just a tad shorter than the return key.

If you rarely use backspace, more power to you. But for the rest of us, a regular-sized backspace key would be too much trouble. In fact, I'd even say that if you can't hit a non-L-shaped enter key, you're the one with a problem.

DVI can imbed a VGA signal on some pins, but as the other user posted: HDMI is smaller than either, AND can carry audio output as well. It can be converted directly into DVI with just pin remapping, and in the event that some user doesn't have DVI or HDMI, a digital signal can be converted to analog (VGA) more efficiently then an analog signal can be converted back into digital.

And while I'm at it, I'd be interested to hear other people's perception of the oversized backspace key (yeah, I know, this is at the bottom of the list of considerations for purchasing a new laptop, but I've got lots of free time to kill today). I've always preferred keyboards with a large "L-shaped" Enter key, and a standard size backspace key (so that the \| key is right at the top row, between the =+ key and the backspace). I've never really understood why some people like to shrink the size of a heavily used key (Enter) to make room for a key that is rarely used (backspace).

Personally, I consider what they have on that laptop the "standard" layout. Microsoft uses it, Logitech uses it, my HP laptop uses it, and whatever cheapo OEM made this Dell keyboard that I'm typing on now uses it.

I'm surpised that there are actually people that prefer their keyboard any other way:).

Personally, I tend to mentally seperate my keys by rows. A key should never span more than one row, so the "L" shaped Enter key is an immediate abomination. The standard size shown on this laptop keeps it

Intel is really pushing Atom now; just last week I went to an Atom seminar for embedded computing folks. They claim 1GHz+-class performance at 3W power usage; I was impressed by a motherboard running a GPS/car automation type realtime app, where not only there was no fan or even a heatsink, but you could touch and hold the finger to the CPU.

They didn't want to say what's the unit price, but it probably won't be in low single dollars like with some ARM variants (STM/LPC)

No - however, laptops based on the Via Nanobook reference design, such as the Acer Cloudbook, etc, are. Yes, it is $100 USD more than the cheapest Eee - however, unless people are fine with only having 2gigs of flash memory, I'd say 100 bucks more for a 30gig hdd and slightly larger screen is worth it. I know that not everybody (especially mass orders) can't afford that hundred each, but considering that the equivalent priced Eee only has 4gigs of ssd (if that?)...

It's almost as if they build their motherboards to die after a year (+/- 1 month) of use... I've had four of them die on me so far (I'm a bit of a glutton for punishment), while the Asus and Gigabyte ones continue to hum along just fine.

I had one MSI mainboard that was DOA. No problems getting a replacement. Since then it's been used in a small office file server which runs 24/7 in a (sadly) unventilated closet, survived a number of power outages and even a power supply explosion (literally). Running for three years now ann not a single problem... with the mainboard anyway:)

MSI is certainly not a top brand but they're not complete junk either, in my experience.=Smidge=

The problem is that there's so much at stake in computer hardware. A lot of consumer decisions are made on snap reflexes to past experiences. If your car breaks down, you don't loose thousands of miles of past driving experience, or anything as nasty as a hard drive failure on a PC. I've established loyalties to companies based not so much on what they've provided me, but on the fact that they've simply not let me down. So far, these are my Hardware company loyalties:

Perhaps the problem is the user and not the mobo. Built all of my systems with MSI motherboards for the last ten years, never have had a problem with one yet. One that is over 5 years old is still chugging along with nary a problem.

I, uh, am typing this on a computer based on a 6 year old MSI board. My last PC was built on an MSI board, which I kept around for 2 years before putting it in the closet as a fileserver. I've got an MSI in the livingroom running my media center, it's 5 years old now. System I'm building next week? MSI.My father-in-law swears by Asus. He also buys a new board every other year, for each of his systems. He gives me the old, dead ones, which I confirm as dead then store away for 6 months, try again and they wo

Me? Intel. Plain ole' vanilla intel Mobos. All my friends swear by Asus, have weird glitches, broken motherboards, and will swear up and down it's only happened this one time. I've seen more Asus boards broken out of the box than any other. My old (OLD) Sony Vaio had an intel motherboard, 200mhz and still running strong; current computer has one, and several inbetween have had them as well. Never, ever had one break or heard of anyone having one break. And they're as cheap if not cheaper than comparable Asu

That's not quite accurate. The company that bought/took the formula was a company that manufactured electrolyte, not a capacitor company. That flawed electrolyte was sold to about a dozen capacitor manufacturers in Taiwan and Japan, who in turn sold the capacitors to probably thousands of companies. It affected products by almost every major computer vendor, including every manufacturer you mentioned in your post.

OMG that brings up some memories. That used to be a standard trouble-shooting tip when somebody called and said their computer was running too slow. Today you automatically think "spyware" - back then it was "they probably turned off turbo mode".Hell I remember on my first computer (a Packard Bell) it took my close to a year to convince my mother that it wasn't hurting the computer to always keep it in Turbo mode. She had wanted me to run it in normal except when I "needed it to go faster".

Not so quick. The turbo button in my 80s Civic was mislabeled AC, but I think the only incorrect installation was the light itself. If I turned off the AC light, the car could actually climb a hill with passengers in it.

Any specific reason, or are you just spouting a bunch of crap? I've been using an MSI motherboard in a gaming machine I built for about a year and a half now, it's been one of the best motherboards I've ever used. Looking at reviews, they have a few models that are rated pretty low, some that are rated excellent. Just like every other motherboard manufacturer.

No, as far as I can see, the article doesn't state what processor the machine will have, the summary is the only thing that says the processor will be dual core. And I'd bet that the summary is wrong, I'm under the impression from other articles that it will include the Atom 230, which is single core. Especially since the dual-core version, the Atom 330, isn't supposed to be out until Q3 2008 [fudzilla.com].
Although the Atom does include HyperThreading to compensate for its lack of out of order execution, thus explaining